Wan told The Straits Times he was eager to develop the bank’s talent pool by utilising his experience as HR director at the Asian Development Bank and director of administration at the World Bank.

“The infrastructure development demand in Asia is huge. If I can ensure that AIIB recruits the right people with the necessary motivation and skill sets, it could help meet the demand and impact the region, especially the Third World countries,” he said.

While AIIB currently has 70 employees from 20 nationalities, this number will increase to 300 over the next few years, Wan said.

“Our aim is to keep it lean to lower costs and increase efficiency. We also want to ensure a good mix of nationalities, so that we have a balanced international profile, though our top priority is to hire top-notch talent.”

Wan has been working at AIIB since April 2015 and initially joined as a consultant. He is currently 73 years old.